Index of Schools AnalysisAbout the Site 2012 20112010 20092008 2007all years
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Most Recently Selected profile:

The data below comes from testmagic forums and shows accepted, waitlisted, and rejected applicants for 2010 for economics graduate school. Clicking on points in the graph above will make the most recent profile appear in the space below the graph.


Acceptances:

tcttc 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: University in China ranked between 3-5. Econ department is not so famous.
Undergrad GPA: 3.79 overall, 3.92 last 2 years
Type of Grad: Master of economics in US university with top 20 econ department
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: V640+Q800+AW3.5
Math Courses (undergrad-level): calculus, linear algebra, ODE, probability, statistics, complex analysis, functions of real variables, stochastic process, intro to topology, abstract algebra, measure theory, numeric analysis, dynamic programming
Math Courses (grad-level): measure and probability, linear models, Functional analysis
Econ Courses (PhD-level): RA for economists , Micro 1 & 2, metrics 1,2, Metrics 3.a & b
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): primary + intermediate micro, macro and metrics sequence, several math econ courses
Other Courses: Finance 1 in B-school
Letters of Recommendation: 1 young Associate professor from UCSD (know me quite well, took class with him),
1 new hired assistant professor from Northwestern (took class with him and get an A+),
1 young associate professor from Univ of Florida (took class with him and get an A),
1 senior full professor from Harvard (my director, know me well, work with him).
None of my references are famous economists. But they are all very kind persons. Two of them think I am strong. I didn't talk with the other two too much.
Research Experience:1. undergraduate thesis (excellent thesis award),
2. 2 course projects in my first year in US.
3. worked with my director on a conference project. And finally he converted it to a working paper and put my name on it. not published and not theoretical. I feel very grateful for him to put my name on it but I didn't talk it too much in my sop.
4. Now RAing for a professor in Law school. mainly coding in R and run all kinds of regressions.
Teaching Experience:none in english, undergraduate metrics in Chinese
Research Interests: metrics theory
SOP: Pretty good I guess. Although my AW is low, I ask for help from my friend who is good at writing proposals and my directors.
Concerns: Low AW, funding
Others: TOEFL 110
Applying to: (all econ PhD) USC, U Washington, UC Davis, UT Austin, BU, Duke, NYU, Berkeley, Stanford, Northwestern, UCSD, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, MIT
Results:
Acceptances: Duke($$), BU(waitlisted for 1st year/$$ from 2nd year), UT Austin($$), USC($$$),UC Davis(?), U Washington Seatle(asked about my other offers, then withdrew),
Rejections: NYU, Berkeley, Stanford, Northwestern, UCSD, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, MIT.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Duke($$), BU(waitlisted for 1st year/$$ from 2nd year), UT Austin($$), USC($$$),UC Davis(?), U Washington Seatle(asked about my other offers, then withdrew),
  • Institution: UC-Davis Economics Decision: Accept Funding: will decide at the end of March Notification date: Feb. 17 Notified through: E-mail from Paul Bergin Posted on GC:No Comments: Yes, after reject by Yale
  • Institution: Duke Econ PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: TBD Notification date: 2/22/2011 Notified through: E-mail to check website Posted on GF: No Comments: Now I am relieved
Rejects:
    Rejections: NYU, Berkeley, Stanford, Northwestern, UCSD, Princeton, Yale, Harvard, MIT.
Waitlists:

claphands 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: B.A Area Studies, minor Spanish, urban state university
Undergrad GPA: 3.65/4
Type of Grad: M.A. Area Studies, top 25 econ program, big public school
Grad GPA: 3.8/4
GRE: 770q/710v/5.5a
Math Courses: (All taken at the big public, over three semesters at the end of my M.A.) GPA: 4.0 - Calc 1&2 (includes multivariate); Intro to Discrete, Intro to Real Analysis, Probability 1, Linear Algebra
Econ Courses: Excluding misc topic courses I took as an undergrad, I took a bunch of calc-based undergrad econ courses at the top 25 program at the end of my M.A. GPA: 4.0 - Intermediate Micro/Macro, Economic Stats, Intro to Econometrics, Development Economics, Computational Economics
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: All from full professors with reputable PhDs I had for a single econ course each. One may have been strong, others were probably good but not personal.
Research Experience: None in econ except for course work, M.A. thesis involved reading an obscene amount of academic economics articles to analyze economic thought in the region I was studying
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Open-economy macro, development, trade, inequality, poverty, agent-based computational
SOP: Pretty good I think, tied together why a student with such a background was going to study economics. On one of my flyouts, grad director asked me questions about things I'd mentioned in my SOP which made me think having said those things helped me.
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Cornell (-), Washington (-), Colorado ($$), Oregon ($$), UMass ($), UC-Santa Cruz (partial$)
Waitlists: NA
Rejections: UC-San Diego, Georgetown
Attending: Colorado
What would you have done differently? Based on my results, I would have applied to several more programs ranked, say 20-40. But money and letter writer goodwill were very much on my mind and I think I did alright in that respect. I actually wouldn't really have changed my academic trajectory, I think most, if not all of the courses I took to get my M.A. and B.A. were interesting and useful for making me the type of thinker and writer I am now. If you are curious where I started from (before I had taken a single math class or basic econ prereq), check this thread: http://www.urch.com/forums/phd-econo...hd-advice.html (Interdisciplinary grad student, weak on math. Needs econ phd advice.)
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Cornell (-), Washington (-), Colorado ($$), Oregon ($$), UMass ($), UC-Santa Cruz (partial$)
  • Institution: UMass - Amherst Econ PhD Decision:Accepted! Funding:$ (all admits are funded) Notification date: 2/19/2011 Notified through: Phone Posted on GF:Y Comments:First admit and a place I'd love to go. very excited.
  • Institution: Oregon Phd in Economics Decision: Accepted "pending grad school approval" Funding: ??? Notification date: ??? Notified through: Just happened to check the website after the post earlier in this thread Posted on GC: No Comment: Nice to have some some choices
  • Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz International Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: 1 year Notification date: 03/01/2011 Notified through: via email Posted on GC: no Comment: Choices make me happy
  • Institution: Colorado-Boulder Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: $$ Notification date: 03/11/11 Notified through: Email Comments: Best offer so far, very happy.
  • Institution: Cornell Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Same as everyone else Notification Date: March 23, 2011 Notified through: Official e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: No funding is probably impossible for me, though flattering to be admitted to the highest ranked program I applied to!
Rejects:
    Rejections: UC-San Diego, Georgetown
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: NA

nat_resource 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS environmental science with chemistry minor from a public master's granting university
Undergrad GPA: 3.55
Type of Grad: master's in an environmental field from a well recognized program
Grad GPA: 3.8
GRE: 780Q 590V 4.0W
Math Courses: Calculus I & II, Vector Calculus I, Linear Algebra and Differential Equations I (B+ average)
Econ Courses (undergrad): intermediate micro (A)
Econ Courses (master's level): Micro I & II (B+, A), Intro Econometrics (A), Econometrics (A-), Environmental Economics (A-), Natural Resources Economics (A)
Other Courses: a lot of chemistry and environmental science, some biology
Letters of Recommendation: Two very strong letters from economists, one from an ecologist. All three are well known in their fields.
Research Experience: EPA graduate research fellowship, master's thesis
Research Interests: Natural resources and environmental, interdisciplinary environmental economics.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: UC Davis ARE ($$$), Maryland AREc ($$), Wisconsin AAE ($$), UCSB (none), U Washington (none), NCSU (none)
Waitlists:
Rejections: Yale School of Forestry, Cornell AEM, UCB ARE
What would you have done differently? Not applied to NCSU. Should have thrown an application to UCSD and Michigan as reaches. Overall I did okay for someone with a limited economics background.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: UC Davis ARE ($$$), Maryland AREc ($$), Wisconsin AAE ($$), UCSB (none), U Washington (none), NCSU (none)
  • Institution: North Carolina State University , Economics/Agricultural Economics Decision: Admitted Funding: Pending Notification date: 1/28/2011 Notified through: Online status Posted on GF: No Comments: I was admitted last year, but declined the offer when no funding was extended.
  • Institution: UC Davis , Agricultural and Resource Economics Decision: Admitted Funding: Yes, but details to follow Notification date: 1/29/2011 Notified through: Phone Posted on GF: No Comments: Very excited.
  • Institution: UC Santa Barbara Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: Pending Notification date: Feb 14 Notified through: website (I checked after seeing an acceptance up at GC) Posted on GC: no Comments: Tough decision between here and Davis ARE.
  • Institution: University of Maryland Agricultural and Resource Economics (PhD) Decision: Accepted Funding: RAship Notification date: 2/23/2011 Notified through: Detailed letter in email Posted on GF: no
  • Institution: Wisconsin Agricultural & Applied Economics PhD Decision: admitted Funding: not decided yet Notification date: 2/23/2011 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GF: no
Rejects:
    Rejections: Yale School of Forestry, Cornell AEM, UCB ARE
  • Institution: Cornell Applied Economics & Management Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: 02/25/2011 Notified through: letter through email Posted on GC: no Comments: hold offers that I consider far superior anyways
  • Institution: UC Berkeley Agricultural & Resource Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/14 Notified through: e-mail to check status Posted on GC: no
Waitlists:
    Waitlists:

Refused 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 undergrad, top 10 econ - Physics and Economics
Undergrad GPA: 3.4
Type of Grad: Top 10 math, non-degree
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800q 680v 5.0aw
Math Courses: Real analysis, ODE, PDE, stats, probability (grad)
Econ Courses (grad-level):
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Advanced micro, econometrics, &c.
Other Courses: physics
Letters of Recommendation: 2 top 10 profs and one 1 top 5 PhD now in industry
Research Experience: RA one summer, economics research group at investment bank since college, 1 working paper
Teaching Experience: no
Research Interests: Macro
SOP: yes
Concerns: B- in real analysis
Other:
Applying to: NYU, NYU Stern, Wisconsin, UCLA, UCSD, Boston University, Duke, Brown, Carnegie Mellon, Washington University in St. Louis, Johns Hopkins, UC Davis, Georgetown, Boston College, Penn State, UC Santa Barbara, University of Southern California, University of Washington, Virginia, Duke MA, UBC MA, Oxford MSc in Economics for Development
Accepts:
  • Institution: UC Davis Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: "before the end of March" Notification date: Feb 11 Notified through: email Posted on GC: yes
  • Institution: UC Santa Barbara Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: No mention of funding Notification date: Feb 14 Notified through: website (I checked after seeing an acceptance up at GC) Posted on GC: yes Comments: Not sure if I got an email as it's blocked at work
  • Institution: Duke AM Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: No Notification date: 3/09/11 Notified through: email to check website Posted on GC: Yes
  • Institution: University of Washington, Seattle Economics Ph.D. Decision: Accepted Funding: Waitlist for partial funding Notification date: 04/01/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: yes Comments: Email asking if I would like to be put on a waitlist for partial funding - doesn't actually mention acceptance but presumably they wouldn't give me partial funding to not attend
Rejects:
  • Institution: Duke Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 02/28/2011 Notified through: website (saw above and checked) Posted on GC: yes Comment:
  • Institution: UCLA Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: E-mail
  • Institution: Carnegie Mellon University, Tepper School Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/8/2011 Notified through: Checked website, though I had done this an hour ago after seeing others had and nothing was there, so they seem to be trickling out Posted on GC: Yes Comments:
  • Institution: Washington University in St. Louis Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/8/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: Yes Comments:
  • Institution: Georgetown Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/10/11 Notified through: Post Comments: Letter dated 3/7
  • Institution: NYU Stern Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/11 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: yes Comments: Email to check website; 1100 applications for 20 spots
  • Institution: Brown University Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/11/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: Yes Comments:
  • Institution: Penn State Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/14 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: yes Comment: first letter of surname is 75th percentile
  • Institution: Johns Hopkins University Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/15/11 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GradCafe: yes Comments: last name starts with 's'
  • Institution: University of Oxford Economics for Development MSc Decision: Rejected Notification date: 03/17/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: Yes Comments:
  • Institution: University of Virginia Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/19/11 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: yes Comments: No email, I just checked the website as I saw someone else had. The decision was available 3/18, apparently.
  • Institution: NYU Economics Decision: Rejection Funding: N/A Notification Date: March 22, 2011 Notified through: Official e-mail Posted on GC: Yes Comments:
  • Institution: NSF Graduate Research Fellowship Program Decision: Rejected Funding: No Notification date: 4/5 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments:
  • Institution: UCSD Ph.D. in Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: NA Notification date: 04/06 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: Yes Comments:
  • Institution: UBC MA Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: April 13 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: Yes
  • Institution: Boston University Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 04/15/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: yes Comments:
  • Institution: University of Southern California Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 04/23/2011 Notified through: Postal Posted on GC: yes Comments:
Waitlists:
  • Institution: Boston College Economics Decision: Wait list Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: Yes
  • Institution: Wisconsin-Madison Economics PhD Decision: Waitlist Funding: No Notification date: 4/4/11 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments:

Econ1012011 2011:
Type of Undergrad: Top 5 U.S. Liberal Arts College. Well-respected Econ Dept but some difficulty placing people into PhDs in recent years, perhaps b/c of lack of grad classes to take and failure to keep pace with big U.S. universities and foreign universities in their emphasis on math in undergrad econ curriculum.
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0
Type of Grad: M.Sc., top ten European program. 1 year of coursework, no thesis, didn't do as much of the PhD core theory sequence as I should have.
Grad GPA: 8.4/10.
GRE: 800 Q / 800 V / 6.0 W (native English speaker)
Math Courses: Calc I and II (AP credit from high school), Calc III mini course (A, at my undergrad institution), Calc III (A-, taken after my B.A. at so-so university #1, not known for econ or math, approx. rank 50), Linear Algebra I (A, taken after my B.A. at so-so university #2, not known for math, approx. rank 80), Math for Econ (A-, post-B.A., masters-level but taken at so-so university #2), Intro to Sets and Proofs and Stuff (A, taken post-M.Sc. at so-so university #1), Ordinary Differential Equations (A-, post-M.Sc., so-so university #1), Real Analysis I (A-, post-M.Sc., so-so university #1; taken fall 2010, some schools didn't allow submission of fall grades), Mathematical Statistics (B+, post-M.Sc., graduate level, so-so university #1, ditto on fall grades.) In progress: Real Analysis II, Mathematical Statistics II.
Econ Courses (grad-level): Did masters in econ. Didn't do PhD-level micro (the Mas-Colell textbook), did mostly masters-level stuff. Did PhD macro, applied micro, applied econometrics, and six standard electives (e.g. labor, public).
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Full major, 3.9/4.0. Did the most advanced international econ, development econ, and econometrics. Didn't do the most advanced micro and macro theory. Econometrics grades somewhat erratic (Intro: A+. Intermediate: B. Advanced: A-.)
Other Courses: Basic Latex, Matlab, and Maple class during Spring 2011 so no grade on transcript.
Letters of Recommendation: 1 from masters who knows I wasn't the best student in the class (Princeton PhD), 1 from undergrad who adores me but didn't teach me any advanced stuff (MIT PhD), 1 former boss who is a PhD economist but not an academic (Columbia PhD).
Research Experience: One summer RA in college doing non-quant stuff, 2 years at a relatively well respected think tank (but it's not academia for sure), 3 years in research department at international organization (very applied, far from academia).
Teaching Experience: TA'ed intermediate micro and macro early in undergrad career, nothing since then.
Research Interests: international, macro labor, environment (not the most coherent storyline).
SOP: Pretty decent (this is a skill of U.S.-trained applicants, I think), but I may have expressed interest in too many different things. Was careful to mention that I know who is doing what in areas I was interested in within each department to show I was paying attention.
Concerns: Most are mentioned throughout up above. Main ones: 1. My math might look like an afterthought, and my grades are in the A- average range, not As. 2. I'm old. Too many years away from school hurts you. 3. I don't come across as focused on a coherent set of topics / tools. 4. I wasn't a rock star at my masters. Solid, but not a rock star, as I hadn't done the needed math yet when I entered that program.
Other: My list of schools is a bit odd, because I have geographic constraints (the result of being older). Also applied to a few law schools as back up, and got offer of full funding at a top school, so I have options if I don't get funding at an econ program.
Applying to: Already Rejected Yale. Still waiting (in geographic order) Harvard, MIT, Columbia, NYU, Princeton, U Penn, Johns Hopkins, University of Maryland, Georgetown, Duke, University of Michigan, University of Washington.
Accepts:
  • Institution: Georgetown Economics PhD Decision: Admitted Funding: yes, ~18.5k for 5 yrs (2 Fellowship, 3 TA/RA) Notification date: 02/25/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: No decision in the online web portal through ApplyYourself, it looks like, only an email.
  • Institution: UVA Economics PhD Decision: Admitted Funding: no info yet Notification date: 02/25/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: I never got an acceptance email. Friday, I got an email inviting me to the admitted students weekend. I checked the online application and it said my application hadn't been submitted at all! Two days later, I check, it shows I've submitted, and there is a link to a letter saying I am admitted. Weird. Profile here (Roll Call 2011) In: Georgetown ($$), UVA (no funding info yet). Out: Yale, U Penn, Duke. Waiting: everywhere else.
  • Institution: University of Washington [Seattle] Economics PhD Decision: Admitted Funding: yes, lowish as is standard for publics Notification date: 03/07/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: No decision in the online web portal. Great fit for my research interests, but Im in at UMD and UMD has much better placement.
  • Institution: University of Maryland Economics PhD Decision: Admitted Funding: yes, not high but pretty good for a public Notification date: 03/03/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: My best option right now. Not sexy, but a solid option.
Rejects:
    Rejected Yale. Still
  • Institution: Yale PhD Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: None Notification date: Feb 16 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: no Comments: Profile here (Roll Call 2011)
  • Institution: UPenn Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 02/24/2011 Notified through: Got email telling me to check status on website Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: Yale PhD Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: None Notification date: 02/16/2011 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: no Comments: Profile here (Roll Call 2011)
  • Institution: Harvard Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/07/2011 Notified through: I called them Posted on GC: no Comment: I knew that all the admits and waitlists had been sent out, but I called to confirm. Indeed, if you havent heard, you are rejected.
  • Institution: MIT Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/07/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: Clear straightforward email is much appreciated. Profile here (Roll Call 2011) In: University of Washington [Seattle] ($), UMD ($$), Georgetown ($$), UVA (no funding info yet). Waitlist: U Michigan. Out: Harvard, MIT, Yale, U Penn, Duke. Waiting: Columbia (no answer yet, so probably reject, very bummed, dream school), NYU, Princeton (as if!), Johns Hopkins
  • Institution: Columbia Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/09/2011 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: no Comment: My top choice. Damn.
  • Institution: Princeton Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 03/11/2011 Notified through: I called and they confirmed that all admitted and waitlisted students had already been notified, so if you havent heard, youre out. Posted on GC: no Comment: Profile here (Roll Call 2011) In: University of Washington [Seattle] ($), UMD ($$), Georgetown ($$), UVA (no funding info yet). Waitlist: U Michigan. Out: Harvard, MIT, Yale, U Penn, Duke, Columbia, Princeton. Waiting: NYU (according to secretary, as of 3/11, NOT all admits and waitlists had gone out), Johns Hopkins.
Waitlists:
  • Institution: University of Michigan Economics PhD Decision: Waitlisted Funding: guaranteed if admitted Notification date: 03/03/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comment: Super misleading letter that makes you think youre in, but wait, sucker!!!, youre not in yet. They are flying out the waitlisted students, though, so I think they do plan to take some eventually. Ill go, sit at the loser table with other waitlisters, and see what the deal is.


Rejections:

EconForeThought 2011:
Type of Undergrad: B.S. in Managerial Economics and an Ag/Bio subject from a UC school
Undergrad GPA: 3.35, 3.65 in econ
Type of Grad: M.S. Agricultural and Resource Economics from a UC School
Grad GPA: 3.8
GRE: 780Q, 560V, 4.5AWA
Math Courses: Calculus I-III, Linear Algebra, Adv Calc (RA I), RAII, 3 Stats courses
Econ Courses (PhD-level): Probability Theory, Metrics I (IP at application)
Econ Courses (masters-level): Micro Theory I, Micro II (IP at application)
Econ Courses (undergrad-level): Intro to Micro/Macro, Inter Macro/Micro, Marketing, Metrics, Optimization, Production Management, Real Estate Econ, Econ Sustainability, Finance I,II, Accounting I,II
Other Courses: Many agricultural, biosci, chem, etc. classes
Letters of Recommendation: 1UC Davis ARE, 1 U Minn, 1 NCSU
Research Experience: Geology research, Wine sensory RA, ARE GSR for two qtrs now
Teaching Experience: None
Research Interests: Ag econ, Resource/energy Econ, Sustainability, IO, Micro ...
SOP: Rewriting from last year
Concerns: Not as much math as many, low overall UG GPA, applying with only a quarter's of M.S. grades in
Other: Applied to and got into 3 PhD programs and 1 M.S. program last cycle. One year M.S. and reapplying this cycle.
RESULTS:
Attending: UC Berkeley ARE
Acceptances: UC Berkeley ARE, U Colorado Econ, U Minn Applied Econ
Rejections: U Wash Econ, U Maryland AREc, Cornell AEM, UCSD (implied)
Withdrawn: UC Davis ARE
What would you have done differently? Not be pre-med starting college and know I wanted to do econ from the beginning, but hindsight is 20/20. I got into my dream school (this year with funding) so that regret isn't really a big deal for me in terms of acceptances, more in terms of that I wish I had more math and statistics in my core curriculum. I believe getting my masters really helped me this cycle in terms of securing funding and getting a better math foundation.
Accepts:
    Attending: UC Berkeley ARE Acceptances: UC Berkeley ARE, U Colorado Econ, U Minn Applied Econ
  • Institution: University of Minnesota Applied Economics Decision:Accepted Funding: No word Notification date: 2/4/2010 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: Y Comments: My first acceptance this round. Good to know someone wants me. Might go if I get funded.
  • Institution: CU Boulder Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: None at this time, maybe later Notification date: 3/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: no Comments: They fund after the first year no matter what if you make good progress. Will have to consider...
  • Institution: UC Berkeley Agricultural & Resource Economics PhD Decision: Accepted Funding: GSR Notification date: 3/16/11 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: DREAM SCHOOL!
Rejects:
    Rejections: U Wash Econ, U Maryland AREc, Cornell AEM, UCSD (implied) Withdrawn: UC Davis ARE
  • Institution: Cornell Applied Economics Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 02/28/2011 Notified through: Email w/ attachment Posted on GC: Comment:
  • Institution: U Washington Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/11/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No COmments: Kind of a bummer. Now 2 for 4..
Waitlists:

econometrix 2011:
Institution: University of Washington
Program: PhD, Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 03/11
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: no
Comments: Kinda thought I had a shot here
Institution: Northwestern University
Program: PhD, Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 03/04
Notified through: Application status page
Posted on GF: no
Comments: Expected to be rejected but worth a shot
Institution: Brown
Program: PhD, Economics
Decision: Rejected
Funding: n/a
Notification date: 03/11
Notified through: Email
Posted on GF: no
Comments: Expected to be rejected but worth a shot
Accepts:
  • Institution: University of Florida Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: Yes; TA Notification date: 04/23/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comments: 1 out of 9 ain't bad...
Rejects:
  • Institution: University of Washington , Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 03/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: no Comments: Kinda thought I had a shot here
  • Institution: Northwestern University , Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 03/04 Notified through: Application status page Posted on GF: no Comments: Expected to be rejected but worth a shot
  • Institution: Brown , Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 03/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: no Comments: Expected to be rejected but worth a shot
Waitlists:


Waitlists:

wheretogo1 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: Big 10 School - top 50 undergrad
Undergrad GPA: 3.9/4.0
GRE: 800Q/550V/4.5Writing
Math Courses: multivariable calculus, linear algebra, probability theory, real analysis (2 semesters), abstract algebra, topology
Econ Courses: intermediate micro, intermediate macro, econometrics, game theory, labor, international
Other Courses: java programming
Letters of Recommendation: 2 from institution (one advised me during research paper), 1 from current boss (who is a professor at a top 5 program)
Research Experience: junior year research project, 3 years at a public policy thinktank
Teaching Experience: tutored calculus at college.... does that count?
Research Interests: applied micro, labor, public econ, but open to anything really
SOP: Not great, not terrible
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Maryland, Virginia, Texas
Rejections: Berkeley, Yale, nwestern, columbia, mich, wisconsin, cornell, carnegie mellon, penn state, illinois, duke, UCSD
Wait lists: BU, Uwashington, Upenn, Minnesota
What would you have done differently?
Build closer relations with economics faculty at my undergrad institution. My rec letters were not as strong as others.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Maryland, Virginia, Texas
Rejects:
    Rejections: Berkeley, Yale, nwestern, columbia, mich, wisconsin, cornell, carnegie mellon, penn state, illinois, duke, UCSD
Waitlists:
    Wait lists: BU, Uwashington, Upenn, Minnesota

mikekohyw 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad:BS in Business at private top-25 school
Undergrad GPA:3.62, 4.0 in econ courses
Type of Grad:MA in econ at Public Master's univ.
Grad GPA: 4.0
GRE: 800Q/630V/4.0AWA
Math Courses: Calc 1-3, Intro linear alg and diff equations (all A's), math probability, linear algebra, proofs (all A's; completed in Fall 2010), real analysis, math stats (in progress, will complete by Spring 2011)
Econ Courses (grad level): MA Macro, Micro, econometrics (all A's), time series (B+, Fall 2010), research methods (A, Fall 2010)
Econ Courses (undergrad level): Basic and intermediate macro/micro, econometrics, math econ, macroecon and growth (all A's)
Other Courses:
Letters of Recommendation: 4 econ professors from master's program
Research Experience: Master's thesis (Still in progress), 1 year as graduate assistant
Teaching Experience: 1 year as econ tutor
Research Interests: Not sure yet...leaning towards applied micro/development
SOP: Probably not well-written as indicated by the results...
Other:
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Houston ($$$), UC Santa Cruz ($$), Hawaii (waitlist $)
Waitlists: Rice, Washington
Rejections: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UT-Austin, Vanderbilt, USC
Pending: Texas A&M
Attending: Houston
What would you have done differently? Taking more math courses in undergrad. I've spent 2 years in grad school trying to catch up the math courses, as I have no math courses under my belt in college. Apparently, I still fell short of the top-50 programs after 2 years of preparation. Since I spent most of the time playing catch-up, I could not start to do some research of my own as I was too occupied with course works. That probably hurts my profile as well. Overall, I would say if I could choose again, I will definitely not do the garbage degree called business administration in my undergrad years.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Houston ($$$), UC Santa Cruz ($$), Hawaii (
  • Institution: University of California, Santa Cruz International Economics Decision: Accepted Funding: 2 Quarters Notification date: 02/28/2011 Notified through: via email Posted on GC: no Comment: I thought there are 3 quarters in an academic year...does that imply I have to find fundings for the 3rd quarter?
  • Institution: Houston Decision: Accepted Funding: TA+Fellowship Notification date: 3/10/11 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: No Comments: First (and possibly only) fully funded offer!
Rejects:
    Rejections: Berkeley, UCLA, UCSD, UC Davis, UC Irvine, UC Santa Barbara, UT-Austin, Vanderbilt, USC
  • Institution: Berkeley Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: Expected
  • Institution: UCLA Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/2/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: No Comments: Expected, if a mid-tier school like Santa Cruz only gives partial funding, how can I expect anything from the top schools?
  • Institution: UC Santa Barbara Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: 3/4/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: no Comments: My profile is worse than I've expected; now I'm wondering whether I should wait till next year?
  • Institution: UC Davis Economics Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/08/11 Notified through: Website Posted on GF: No Comments: "Not competitive with other applicants because of inadequate preparation for advanced study in the proposed program." They should just explicitly state the math courses required for admission...that way I wouldn't be wasting my time and money applying to their programs...
  • Institution: Texas-Austin Decision: Rejected Funding: Notification date: 3/10/11 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: No Comments:
  • Institution: Vanderbilt University Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 03/30/2011 Notified through: E-mail Comments: On a positive note, that makes my decision process easier...
  • Institution: UC Irvine Decision: Rejected Notification date: 4/4 Notified through: randomly checked the website and the rejection letter was on there. Posted on GC: no Comments: 2 more schools (rejections) to go.
  • Institution: UCSD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 4/5 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: 1 more school (rejections) to go.
Waitlists:
    waitlist $) Waitlists: Rice, Washington
  • Institution: Rice Economics PhD Decision: Waitlisted Funding: N/A Notification date: 2/13 Notified through: Email Posted on GF: ? Comments: Off to a bad start...
  • Institution: U Washington Decision: Waitlisted/Rejected Funding: Notification date: 4/1/11 Notified through: email Posted on GF: No Comments: "We are not able to offer you admission at this time, but if you would like to be placed on our waiting list for admission, please let us know." Sent a email earlier asking about funding, no full funding is available for the waitlist candidates, although partial funding "may be available".

LameDuck 2011:
PROFILE:
Type of Undergrad: BS Mathematics, Physics Minor @ state university
Undergrad GPA: 3.24/4.00 (3.8ish Math)
Type of Grad: First year of Mathematics MS @ same university
Grad GPA: 4.0/4.0
GRE: 800Q 700V 3.5AW
Math Courses: Around 20 -- Topology, Grad Analysis Sequence, Grad Algebra Sequence, a few Linear Algebra courses, DiffEQ, Stat Theory, Programming/Applied courses, etc.; mostly A's
Econ Courses: Intermediate Micro (A+), Intermediate Macro (A+); both taken as a non-degree student after my BS
Other Courses: Programming (Java), Physics courses (Mechanics, Circuit Design, Math Modeling, etc.)
Letters of Recommendation: Good(great?) letters from 3 math professors who are somewhat known in the math world -- I really had no access to econ letters
Research Experience: Math research (Approximation Theory)
Teaching Experience: One year as a TA for Calc. III, and one year as an Algebra instructor while I was in the MS program
Research Interests: International Macro, Development, Game Theory -- admittedly, I'm not entirely certain which route I'll go.
RESULTS:
Acceptances: Iowa($$), Boston U.(MA), Pitt(unfunded) <-- deferred from 2010
Waitlists: U. Washington - Seattle
Rejections: Columbia, Minnesota, UPenn, Boston U. (PhD), Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Maryland, UWO, Wisconsin
What would you have done differently?
This year was my full-court shot at some high ranked programs; I already held a deferred offer from Pitt. In retrospect, I might not have applied to some of the places that weren't really a good fit for me -- live and learn.
If I had it all to do over again? Well, I'd be a less capricious youngster, perform better in the first years of my undergrad, and I'd realize an interest in economics earlier than a few years ago. That being said, I'm happy where I am, but I wouldn't recommend my circuitous route to anyone; the hope is that experience matters, no?
Given my lack of access to econ reference writers and my nontraditional background, I think I did alright for myself. The fact that I missed out on funding at Pitt this year gave me a scare, but I got into another program that I heavily targeted.
Accepts:
    Acceptances: Iowa($$), Boston U.(MA), Pitt(unfunded) <-- deferred from 2010
  • Institution: University of Iowa Ph.D. in Economics Decision: Accepted (off the waitlist) Funding: Yes Notification date: April 8 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Ecstatic to have a funded offer! The department is going through some changes, but I'll likely still go here.
Rejects:
    Rejections: Columbia, Minnesota, UPenn, Boston U. (PhD), Johns Hopkins, Northwestern, Maryland, UWO, Wisconsin
  • Institution: Minnesota Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 02/24/2011 Notified through: Saw a rejection here, checked the website. Posted on GC: not yet Comment: suck, I had hopes for this one.
  • Institution: Upenn Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: n/a Notification date: 02/24/2011 Notified through: email to log onto the website Posted on GC: not yet Comment: Expected, but still a crappy day.
  • Institution: Northwestern Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/4/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: yep Comments: twas inevitable, but I had to try
  • Institution: Columbia University Ph.D. Economics Decision: Rejected Notification Date: 3/09/2011 Notified through: Email to check website Posted on GC: No Comments: Expected. The last of my reach schools -- only waiting on realistic admits now.
  • Institution: Johns Hopkins Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/14/11 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: short letter
  • Institution: Wisconsin-Madison Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/15/11 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: another rejection :/
  • Institution: University of Western Ontario Economics MA/PdD track Decision: rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 3/15/11 Notified through: email Posted on GC: No Comments: 8th rejection, this one from a school I thought I had a good shot at. If I were not holding onto a deferred offer from last cycle this would be a very sad year.
  • Institution: Boston University Ph.D. in Economics Decision: Rejection FUnding: N/A Notification Date: 03/25/2011 Notified Through:Email Comments: Mass public slaying
Waitlists:
    Waitlists: U. Washington - Seattle
  • Institution: University of Washington-Seattle Economics Decision: Waitlisted Funding: no Notification date: 4/5 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: It'd be nice to have funding if admitted but I'll see how it goes -- might still consider going.
  • Institution: Iowa Economics Decision: Waitlisted Funding: if admitted Notification date: 4/5 Notified through: email Posted on GC: no Comments: They foresee admitting a few from the waitlist. I'd be really happy to go here.

centralbanker 2011:
Institution: Rochester
Program: Economics (PhD)
Decision: rejected
Notification date: 2/22/2011
Notified through: email
Posted on GF: no
Comments: I should be disappointed or feeling dejected, but all I keep thinking is thank goodness I've finally heard something!
Accepts:
Rejects:
  • Institution: Rochester Economics (PhD) Decision: rejected Notification date: 2/22/2011 Notified through: email Posted on GF: no Comments: I should be disappointed or feeling dejected, but all I keep thinking is thank goodness I've finally heard something!
  • Institution: Northwestern University Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/4/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: no Comments: Shocker!
  • Institution: Michigan Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/3/2011 Notified through: Email Posted on GC: no Comments: Not surprised, looking at the biggest shut-out in history
  • Institution: Rutgers Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/4/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: no Comments: The gauntlet rolls on, I'm going for a record!
  • Institution: Maryland Economics PhD Decision: Rejected Notification date: 3/6/2011 Notified through: Website Posted on GC: no Comments: And another!
  • Institution: UVA Decision: Rejected Funding: N/A Notification date: 4/1/11 Notified through: website Posted on GF: No Comments: This was coming for at least a month, why did it take so long?
  • Institution: UNC - CH Economics Decision: Rejected Funding: - Notification date: 04/14/2011 Notified through: e-mail Posted on GC: no Comments: Not much of a wait afterall...
Waitlists:
  • Institution: U Washington Decision: Wait-listed Funding: Unfunded if admitted Notification date: 4/1/11 Notified through: email Posted on GF: No Comments: What? Somebody is willing to consider me for more than one second? I'm shocked!
  • Institution: UNC-Chapel Hill Ph.D. in Economics Decision: Waitlisted (implied) Funding: NA Notification date: 04/07 Notified through: E-mail Posted on GC: No Comments: Ditto above - don't know if I'd call this a waitlist, but lets cling to hope for a couple days...
Admit summary statistics:
As submitted and recoreded from Test Magic:
There were 5 accepted out of 11 applicants.Of those accepted, average GPA was 3.66, average GREQ was 790.0.
No link to department posted statistics has been added, please let me know if these exist and I will add them.

Links:
Test Magic Econ Forums
econphd.econwiki.com
Last Updated: 14:58:1, Fri May 11, 2012